Initial Concept and Design

After receiving a remote start in my car as a gift I found that the range was severely limited, usually only working from a few hundred feet away. Since I wanted to be able to pre-start my car from much greater distances, I decided to upgrade the range of my reciever.

Assembly and Complications

While I had initially intended to simply increase the range of the receiver using a larger antenna, I ended up realizing that no feasible antenna would give me the range that I wanted. I then settled on utilizing the existing GSM cell network, as its coverage extends across most of the country. ​

Final Product

I prototyped my design using a 12 volt battery pack that sat inside the center console of my car to make sure everything worked properly. After a few weeks of testing, I integrated the transponder into my cars electrical system, utilizing the existing constant power from my car radio. The system now sits hidden behind my dashboard.